Daniela & Stefan, Germany

Today, we’re going to Germany, to meet a family living in Kassel, in the Northern part of the country. Daniela, 43, and her husband, 46, have three kids : two girls, 11 and 7 years old, and a big 23 years-old son who lives now in Berlin. They also have a cat, called Polly, who’s part of the family.

Daniela is a teacher in a primary school in Kassel and her husband is an educator.

They’ve been living in a rustic old half-timbered house for 16 years now, in a small district not too far from fields and meadows, but also close to cafés, shopping and tram.

Daniela tells us here about their family life in this lovely city, not far from Nature.

At first sight, Kassel is not particularly beautiful because it was almost completely destroyed during World War II. But I’ve been living here for a long time and I know beautiful and charming secret places. There are also beautiful old buildings, cafes and small shops in Kassel (for example around the Bebelplatz). Kassel is surrounded by a lot of greenery and nature, which makes the city very appealing to families.

What do you like doing with your kids in the city ?

We like going to the weekly market, which is located in a beautiful old market hall. But most of all, we enjoy nature around our city.

There are really many beautiful places for children here in Kassel, such as The Aue and the Berggarten parks. In the Habichtswald (very close to us), there is a climbing park for children that we have rediscovered last Autumn : now my girls are looking forward to going again there when the season starts in March! There are many swimming pools in Kassel where the kids would love to go every weekend. The large thermal pool is a special attraction : here you can relax in the large sauna or in one of the many swimming pools.

Photo by Daniela S.

In which restaurants or coffee shops do you go with the kids?

My favorite café is the Rokkeberg, where we sometimes have breakfast during the weekend.

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AT HOME

Photo by Daniela S.

What is your favourite and easiest meal with children?

We all like soups, especially in winter. Our favorite soup is pumpkin soup with apples, carrots and potatoes. It goes fast and we all love it !!!(See recipe at the bottom of the page).

Photo by Daniela S.

When the weather is bad, what do your children enjoy doing at home ?

My children have always liked to build caves from everything they can find ! … But after, it’s a total mess !! They also enjoy painting and tinkering.

Photo by Daniela S.

Photo by Daniela S.

What books are your kids’ favourites ?

I have always had a great passion for beautifully illustrated picture books. We have a very large collection. It all started with my eldest son… Here are just a few:

“Tomte Tummetott” by Astrid Lindgren

“The Big Question” by Wolf Erlbruch

“In the Garden of the Pusteblumen” by Noellia Blanco and Valeria Docampo

“Lulu and Pip” by Nina Gruener and Stephanie Rausser

“Snow White” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and Benjamin Lacombe

Photo by Daniela S.

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Thank you very much, Daniela, for this lovely interview! You can follow Daniela’s family everyday life on her lovely Instagram account @wunderblumen!

See you next Monday for a complete report about our trip to Lisbon… starting tonight 😉